Do you need to borrow a book in Bath, study in Stirling or use a library in London?

Swansea University are members of UK wide borrowing and reading schemes which will allow you to use a range of other libraries.

SCONUL

The SCONUL Access scheme is a co-operative agreement between a number of higher education libraries. The scheme allows Swansea University academic staff, postgraduate research students, full-time postgraduates, part-time, distance learning or placement students to borrow or use books and journals at other libraries belonging to the scheme.

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Students and staff must register with SCONUL Access by applying online and have their application authorised by Swansea University before visiting any of the other participating libraries. This guide explains how you can join the scheme.

It’s important to note that not every library will grant you borrowing rights. The SCONUL website will tell you what services your chosen libraries can offer you.

Libraries Together

The Libraries Together scheme is managed by SWAMP (South West And Mid Wales Partnership) and funded by CyMAL (Museums Archives and Libraries Wales).

A Libraries Together passport allows any current member of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire public library services to use anumber of local, further and higher education libraries in Wales. Participating libraries include Gower College Swansea, Neath Port Talbot College, Swansea Metropolitan – UWTSD and University of Wales Trinity Saint David – Lampeter and Carmarthen.

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If you are not currently a member of a local public library, please visit your nearest public library within Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire and join the library. To register with the scheme you can download a Libraries Together Passport and take it with you to have it stamped or ask for one when joining.

How do I get hold of British and International Standards? Use BS Online!

Did you know that Swansea University provides access to UK and ISO (international) standards from the British Standards Institute (BSI) via the database BS Online? There are standards which are of interest to School of Management students covering Supply Chain Management, Sustainability, Business Continuity, Customer Service, Risk, Security, and Environmental Management. For instance, you might consider how organisations use health and safety standards to help reduce accidents in the workplace, or look at a quality management standard to boost efficiency and reduce product failure.

In simple terms, a ‘standard’ is an agreed (standardised) way of doing something. Standards cover a range of organisational activities, including product manufacture, managing a process, service delivery, materials supply and others.

Within the UK, all standards are published by the BSI. The BSI standards can be expensive to buy (sometimes £100s!), so the best way to access them is via the Swansea University subscription to BS Online. We’ve already paid for this, so you won’t have to pay again! There’s some more information and a guide available on Blackboard.

If you’re still a bit confused about what a standard is, or would like to find out more about how they’re written, there’s some useful information on the BSI website. (Don’t try to access the actual standards from the website, though – use BS Online so you don’t have to pay!)

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